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Karting Championship

nabeel — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:11:58 +0000

If you look up “Motorsports in Lahore” on google this is what you get…

...

But this joke is losing it’s humor. And that’s because there have been at least four proper motorsports events in Lahore within the last year including a 4×4 mud rally, a couple of go-kart races and a so called drag race. Finally there’s some excitement in the Lahoree petrol-heads’ life.

Last weekend Lake City was home to a go-kart race organized by Racing Pakistan and sponsored by Bank Alfalah. A race track was improvised on the excellent streets of Lake City (a rare sight in Lahore). The race was held at night under flood lights to avoid the scorching heat of the day. It was a five hour endurance race so each team had 3 to 4 drivers who replaced one another at the end of a stint.

Karting is considered as the most basic form of motorsports. And although a go-kart might look like something you’d buy for your five year old boy but don’t be fooled by its benign looks. Go-kart racing is all about agility and acceleration. That’s why go-karts weigh next to nothing and have very high power to weight ratio. As a result a go-kart changes direction like a gazelle and goes like stink. And that’s why go-kart tracks are very tight and twisty.

F1 replica

This is the second time that Racing Pakistan has organized a kart race in Lahore. The first event was held back in August 2008. Adnan Sarwar is the front man of this organization who is working with Bank Alfalah to promote motorsports in Pakistan.

When I went to see this race last year I saw a Ferrari followed soon after by an Aston Martin and several Porsches. So I wondered how long would it be before I wake up. But then i was forced to realise that it wasn’t a dream. So the next explanation I came up with was that I had somehow reached a European town located on Raiwind Road. Because to me, that was a less ridiculous idea than actually seeing a Ferrari and an Aston Martin in Lahore.

Altough I didn’t see the Ferrari and the Aston this year (maybe I missed them) but the car park was still quite dream-like.

There are many things I can think of that could have been better on this event but I think it’s more important to appreciate the effort for bringing motorsports to Pakistan which is something we really need.

In case you’re wondering why you never found out about some or all of these events, well you’re not alone, because many people missed these events because they didn’t know about them. Anyway cheer up! I’ll do my best to keep you informed about any future happenings. And if you know about any upcoming events please do share this information with us.

Here are some pictures from the event…

racetrack

And here are some pictures from the last year’s event…

Here’s a video report of the event which isn’t very good but it’s all I could find.

Lahore Karting Championship

Originally posted at: Horse Power

Daihatsu Cuore Review

nabeel — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:45:04 +0000

The Daihatsu cuore is a car from the 90’s so it doesn’t feel like a modern car at all. It was built to be basic and cheap and it sure is basic, but cheap…I don’t think so.

Even the engineers at the daihatsu dealership admit that this car has some design faults which can’t be fixed especially some clutch related issues. Apart from that it is very reliable and easy to maintain and it’s always welcome in the second hand car market.

	Score	Remarks
Performance	7/10	Lack of weight covers up well for the lack of power
Grip & handling	4/10	Not great
Comfort	4/10	Poor
Reliability	8/10	Very good
Fuel economy	6/10	Let down by its prehistoric fuel injection system
Maintenance	8/10	Easy to maintain
Resale	9/10	Anytime
Price	4/10	Too expensive
Equipment	4/10	Bare minimum

MODEL	PRICE
CUORE CL	569,000
CUORE CL CNG	609,000
CUORE CX	619,000
CUORE CX MET	625,000
CUORE CX CNG	664,000
CUORE CX CNG MET	669,000
CUORE CX A/T	649,000
CUORE CX A/T MET	654,000
CUORE ECOMATIC	704,000
CUORE ECOMATIC MET	709,000

Source: Toyota-indus.com

Rivals:

Toyota Vitz/Platz

Suzuki Alto

Chevrolet Joy

Chery QQ

Suzuki Mehran

Verdict:

Cuore is not a bad car but you can get a much better car in the same budget.

Wanna get dirty??

nabeel — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:28:33 +0000

I’ve been dreaming about getting a quad bike for a birthday present since I was about six years old. Sadly however that magic birthday never came. In my dreams I’ve driven through valleys and deserts and rescued gorgeous looking girls on my quad bike. But none of these dreams ever saw the light of day.

I know a quad bike is not very practical as a mode of transport, in fact it is pointless unless you live alone on a mountain top. But it does combine all the coolest ingredients of a great thriller in a very small package. Just like Charlie’s Angels…

When you look at a quad bike it instantly makes you forget about practicality, you just want it for its fat spiky tires, the torque-filled two stroke engine and those huge shock absorbers.

But I’m not so sure many six year olds will get to tear the gift wrapper off a quad bike because these beasts are quite pricey. A proper quad bike can cost between 50 to 500 thousand rupees. This is why it would be a good idea to rent one for the weekend instead of buying one. Unfortunately however I’ve never heard of a place where you can rent a quad bike. Maybe that’s why I get to see so many 40 year old fat balding businessmen riding their own quad bikes around town. And they always have a mischievous smile on their face like a six year old boy who just got a quad bike for a birthday present.

Family cars sorted by power

nabeel — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:27:30 +0000

In the following chart, cars are sorted by their Engine Capacity. The Coure seems to rule the 0.8 Litre category, while at the top end, the 2.4 Accord wins by 0.1 second margin! – Ed’ Note

Honda City 2008-2009

admin — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:50:16 +0000

The new Honda City is set to be introduced in the Pakistani Market.

Couple that with the news item that Corolla is now only coming out as a 1.6, this leaves the middle class market totally empty for Honda to eat up! The new design is much better than the horror that roams our streets. If this is what the new Honda City looks like, then all is goood.

Images courtesy of pakwheels.